A new nuclear reactor in the United States starts for the first time in seven years

[ad_1]

Vogtle 3 nuclear reactor

Source: Georgia Power

For the first time in nearly seven years, a new nuclear reactor has started up in the United States.

On Monday, Georgia Power announced that Unit 3 of the Vogtle nuclear reactor had triggered a nuclear reaction inside the reactor.

Technically, this is called “initial criticality”. This is when the nuclear fission process begins to split atoms and generate heat, Georgia Power said in a written announcement.

The heat generated in the nuclear reactor causes the water to boil. The resulting steam spins a turbine which is connected to a generator which creates electricity.

Vogtle’s Unit 3 reactor will be fully commissioned in May or June, Georgia Power said.

The last time a nuclear reactor reached the same milestone was nearly seven years ago, in May 2016, when the Tennessee Valley Authority began splitting atoms at the Watts Bar Unit 2 reactor in Tennessee, Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Scott Burnell told CNBC.

“It’s a really exciting time as we prepare to bring a new nuclear unit online that will provide our state with clean, emissions-free power for the next 60 to 80 years,” said Chris Womack, CEO of Georgia Power. , in a written statement. statement.

Including the recently commissioned Vogtle Unit 3 reactor, there are currently 93 operating nuclear reactors in the United States, and collectively they generate 20% of the nation’s electricity.

Nuclear reactors, which help fight global warming, generate about half of the clean, carbon-free electricity produced in the United States

Most nuclear reactors in the United States were built between 1970 and 1990, but construction slowed dramatically after the Three Mile Island accident near Middletown, Pennsylvania on March 28, 1979. From 1979 to 1988, 67 projects nuclear reactor construction plans have been canceled, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

However, because nuclear power is produced without emitting carbon dioxide emissions, which cause global warming, the heightened sense of urgency in responding to climate change has given nuclear power a chance for a renaissance.

The cost associated with building nuclear reactors is, however, a major obstacle to a potential resurgence of nuclear power. And Vogtle’s new builds have become the embodiment of that burden: the construction of Vogtle’s two reactors has been plagued with cost overruns and delays.

[ad_2]